1. Field of the Invention
Firearms and handguns in particular, are normally kept in residences and business establishments by collectors and others for sale as well as personal protection. In some cases, the firearms are carelessly stored, exposing them to potential theft and accidental discharge by young children. In other cases, the weapons are kept in locked storaged cabinets or closets, many of which cabinets and closets are fitted with glass doors for display purposes. Numerous accidents occur as a result of the unintentional discharge of firearms and a high percentage of these accidents occur as a result of small children gaining access to firearms and particular handguns, and discharging the guns, either striking themselves or another child.
This invention relates to a weapon safety receptacle and more particularly, to a gun container which is capable of containing and securing handguns, rifles, shotguns and other weapons such as knives and swords, wherein the weapons can be quickly and easily removed from the contained by an adult but are sare from unauthorized use by children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of locks, containers and trigger-restraining mechanisms are known in the prior art to secure and prevent firearms from accidentally discharging. Typical of these restraints or locking mechanisms is the popular trigger lock inset, which is inserted between the trigger and the trigger housing of a gun or rifle and must be removed by a key. The lock mechanism prevents the trigger from moving with respect to the trigger housing when the gun is handled. Other weapon security devices have taken the form of enclosures or trays for supporting and containing handguns and other weapons, with various types of restraining mechanisms and locks provided for securing firearm inside the containers or trays. U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,278, dated July 4, 1967, to Frank A. Pachmayr, entitled "Gun Holding Tray" is typical of this latter class of handgun containers. The "Gun Holding Tray" disclosed in this patent employs a succession of upstanding, relatively movable members which are designed to receive and clamp gun barrels between them. The clamps immobilize the handguns inside the tray and the tray is provided with a closure or lid in conventional fashion. A "Firearm Safety Box" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,755, to M. E. Lentz. The "Firearm Safety Box" includes a box structure with a template designed to receive the upper part of a selected firearm such as a handgun, and a safety rod which is rotatably attached to the template and is adapted to fit into the barrel of the firearm. The safety rod is further designed to extend into the chamber and a safety finger is fitted into the clip opening of the firearm. The container is provided with a cover for closing and locking the firearm therein. U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,721, also to M. E. Lentz, dated Feb. 20, 1968, and also entitled "Firearm Safety Box," represents a variation of the firearm safety box noted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,755. The safety container detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,721 includes a generally box-like structure having a safety rod adapted to fit into the chamber of a selected firearm, with the opposite end of the rod adapted to act as a key to close a lock mechanism. A safety finger is adapted to fit into the clip opening of the firearm and the box is closeable only when the safety rod and safety finger are positioned in the firearm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,199, dated Oct. 10, 1978, to Johnny B. Whitaker, Jr., discloses a "Weapon Safety Receptacle". The "Weapon Safety Receptacle" detailed by this patent embodies a housing section having an upstanding rear wall connected at its lower end to a forwardly extending wall, which is in turn connected to an upstanding front wall that terminates below the upper end of the rear wall, to define an access opening between the upper edges of the front and rear walls. A cover section is characterized by a top wall connected to a depending rear wall, which engages a recess in the upper rear portion of the rear wall of the housing section. A depending front wall of the cover section extends alongside the outer surface and terminates below the upper edge of the front wall of the housing section. A resilient member connects the cover section to the housing section and urges the cover section toward and into engagement with the housing section. A "Gun Cabinet" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. no. 4,155,608, dated May 22, 1979, to Mark L. Orlewicz. The patent details a cabinet for secure storage of a gun, which cabinet is adapted to be mounted in the recess of a wall wherein an outer door of the cabinet simulates a decorative wall article. Directly behind the outer door is a lockable, transparent inner door, whereby the user of the cabinet may conveniently inspect and display the contents of the cabinet. An adjustable fixture located inside the cabinet retains the gun in desired position and accomodates a range of styles and sizes of small guns. Quick access to the gun or guns is facilitated in the retention fixture for quick release of the gun and the interior of the cabinet is illuminated when the cabinet door is opened.
One of the problems which is apparent from a consideration of existing locking and security devices for guns and particularly handguns, is complexity. Furthermore, this complexity is dangerous under circumstances where the handgun must be regularly accessible and usable in emergency situations. Many of the more sophisticated security devices require a key to unlock the firearm or the cabinet containing the firearm or firearms and the key must therefore remain accessible to the owner at all times. Furthermore, the opposite extreme of having a handgun readily available for any emergency presents an obvious danger to small children, as well as various opportunities for theft of the weapon or weapons.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved gun container for weapons and particularly handguns, which gun container is characterized by a box-like structure having a base and a removable cover fitted to the base, wherein the cover must be manipulated in a preselected sequence with respect to the base in order to remove the cover from the base.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved gun container for firearms and particularly handguns, which gun container is shaped to contain substantially any handgun or weapon and includes a base portion and a cover portion, wherein the base portion is provided with a pair of oppositely- disposed, generally U-shaped grooves or tracks and the cover is fitted with cooperating fixed pins for traversing the grooves or tracks in a specified sequence, in order to lock a handgun or weapon inside the container and remove the handgun or weapon from the container by following the preselected sequence.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a handgun container for, enclosing handguns, which container is characterized by a shaped base and cover which base is provided with spring-loaded pressure pins and a pair of shaped grooves provided in opposite sides thereof and the cover is fitted with fixed pins projecting inwardly of the cover and designed to engage the grooves when the cover engages the spring-loaded pins, wherein the fixed pins are caused to traverse the grooves in a preselected sequence according to the shape of the grooves when the cover is placed on the base, and retrace the grooves in a reverse of that sequence when the cover is removed from the base, in order to prevent children from removing the handgun from the gun container.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a handgun security container which includes a base portion for receiving the handgun, which base portion is provided with two pairs of generally U-shaped grooves and a pair of oppositely-disposed, spring-loaded retainer pins and further including a cover portion having four inwardly projecting, fixed pins adapted to engage and traverse the grooves to attach the cover to the base and remove the cover from the base in a reverse of the closing sequence, when the oppositely-disposed retainer pins are depressed to allow clearance between the cover and the base.